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Both horrendously misaligned setups if you're talking about a right handed player.

Yes, for the sake of simplicity I'm only talking about a right-handed golfer.

If a player's stock shot is a 10 yard draw to his target and he hits a 5 yard draw, he messed up his alignment horrendously? I would disagree. There are small variations from swing to swing that will affect the outcome. This kind of thing will happen if the player typically misses slightly towards the toe and accounts for it by aiming farther right, but happens to catch it out of the sweetspot.

My point is, using a player's intended target to determine the difference between a draw or a hook (or fade vs slice) is flawed.

Based on the definition @arturo28mx gave, a player who sets up for a 5 yard draw that ends up hitting a 7 yard draw "hooked" it. That doesn't make sense to me. Maybe the player hit his 5 yard draw and missed it left of his intended target because he aimed more left than he thought he did, so instead of starting his ball to the right and drawing it to his target, he starts the ball at the target and it falls left of his target. That shouldn't be considered a hook, either.

A person who asks when a fade becomes a slice and a draw becomes a hook is a person who wants to think their slices are fades and their hooks are draws.

If you can hit a fade or a draw you sure as hell know when they're hooks and slices

That is a huge insult to Bubba Watson. He moves it both ways at will. He is hardly "managing his game" when he is on form.

Hell, I thought it was a compliment! All depends on your point of view I guess.

Like Bubba's shot from the pine straw to win the Masters. I was actually at my Mom's house paying her a visit since the Masters is right around her birthday. We were watching, and when Bubba hit that shot I just erupted! "Jesus H! What a shot!!" My Mom stared at me like I'd lost my mind. I told her that she didn't understand just how hard a shot that was to hit!

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I think when you need to aim off your target line to get it on target. If you're aligned down the middle and you can push it to the right and have it draw back to the middle = Draw. but, if your curve is so severe enough that you need to align yourself off you your target = hook.

not to say that players don't intentionally play hook/slice. I just think alignment is the difference between the two. if that makes sense?

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I am comfortably in the fairway if I hit my normal fade and I am hitting 3 on the tee if I sliced my first drive. I line up on the right side of the tee as far as allowed and do not aim left but align myself to where I want the ball to end up.

I think when you need to aim off your target line to get it on target. If you're aligned down the middle and you can push it to the right and have it draw back to the middle = Draw. but, if your curve is so severe enough that you need to align yourself off you your target = hook.

not to say that players don't intentionally play hook/slice. I just think alignment is the difference between the two. if that makes sense?

I always line up square to my starting line (not the final target). Plan is always face square at impact. I induce draw/fade solely with path and try to eliminate the other variable. So I don't think I can use your definition. Face drills for me is to develop control in order to return the face to square. Path is easier for me to induce.

For me - YMMV

Fade/Draw - smaller curves, mostly on purpose. I know it when I see it. I expect it before I see it.

Good Hook/Slice - big curve, definitely only on purpose. fun stuff

traditional Hook /Slice - not intentional, big curves, cursing. I know it after it happens.

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What do you call a fade that misses left or a draw that misses right Answer: One horrible looking next shot and a lot of superlatives to follow. The answer to the question is its a slice when you are so far to the right you a playing a different hole , the same for a hook only left.

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I think when you need to aim off your target line to get it on target. If you're aligned down the middle and you can push it to the right and have it draw back to the middle = Draw. but, if your curve is so severe enough that you need to align yourself off you your target = hook.

That just makes it a push-draw. This guy named Snead did pretty well for himself back in the day playing a slight pull-draw and lining up to the right of his intended target.

Then there was this Nicklaus guy who aimed left to hit a fade right. Pretty sure he wrote in his book if he ever hit it straight (on his target line), he missed it.

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I think it has to do with how hard the ball curves. For example - if you're behind a tree - you have to hook it around to get it on the green. I'm not sure where the line is, but I'm not sure if target is the right way to define it. I do like the idea of a 'high gentle fade out of bounds'.

But they had the courage to align their body to start the ball over the hazard and curve it back. I still can't seem to get myself to do that!

That comes from really owning their ballflight - they know the hazard isn't in play. It's like seeing a short fairway bunker off the tee: if you know you're going to carry it barring an egregious mishit, you don't think much about it.

If you and I had that kind of clubface control, we'd line up at hazards, too.

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It’s a great method for all you great ball strikers. But when you’re hitting over 200 balls with massive fats, smother shanks along with deep divots to begin with...it doesn’t really matter...you’re making a mess. This is why I always lay down the seed/sand mixture when I’m done.

Again… If you enjoy playing your way, by all means, have at it. I'm approaching this as a coach, an instructor, and the author of a book dealing with exactly this stuff as if you were asking me how to shoot the lowest scores and play your best golf.
It is not by hitting irons only.
I wrote the topic. Suffice to say I've read it. Your good and bad swings are consistent. If you were "inconsistent" you'd have rounds where you shoot 72 and others where you shoot 110. You're consistent enough that you tend to shoot a pretty narrow range of scores.
It does no such thing. Comparing racing high-powered race cars to hitting the driver? Fail. Hell, a 2-iron would be the last club I'd put in the hands of a new golfer, and a driver is one of the easier ones - the ball is in the air (you're not hitting it off the ground), it has a huge club face, etc.
Not if you want to shoot the lowest scores. Obviously there are "other options." You could play golf hitting every shot with your putter ten feet at a time. Pretty stupid way to play, but it's "another option."
He did it by learning to hit driver.
No, not bollocks to me. Driving is about twice as important as putting. Approach shots are almost three times as important.
These are facts. The short game and putting only account for about 33% of the differences in your score. If I had you hit every shot of mine inside of 60 yards and every putt, you'd break 80. If we switched roles, I would probably not shoot more than about three to six shots better than you're shooting now.
The old saying was wrong. It is almost exactly backward. Driving and approach shots are the skills with the highest "Separation Value®."

The point I was making is… if the rules limited golf equipment more than they did… people would still be buying new clubs and new balls.
So I don't see how it's "all about the money" and you haven't made that point at all.

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback, it definitely gives me a lot to think about and work on!
I know my swing is poor, but I’m very motivated to improve. I’m also going to re-start lessons in January.
I’m aiming for an update here every couple weeks so you guys can keep me on track—and I appreciate brutal honesty!!